Easter is not only a celebration of Christ's resurrection, but a promise. As Christ rose from the dead, those who believe on him shall also rise on the last day. More than that, the pain and sorrow on this globe shall come to an end.
Some men have used the end times to sell books. Other Christians use it to put the fear of being left behind during a period of global tribulation. This is off-mark of what the Bible teaches and greatly misunderstands the point of the end times. Its not to figure out the minutest detail of Bible prophecy. Nor is it to encourage people to view the Lord as helping them escape from a time of trouble and suffering. For in all times, there is trouble and suffering and we don't get whisked away so we can avoid dealing with it.
The point is not the rapture and it's not the tribulation. It is having Christ in our midst, living with us, and ruling this world. Before America's Founding Father's, the World history was that of Kings and Queens. In throwing off the yoke of tyranny, America's founders declared, "No king, but King Jesus." For only Jesus could be trusted to wield the power of a King justly.
God gave us beautiful world, but our sin has left it in a fallen, broken condition. The more human efforts are made at Utopia, the higher the body count. Millions were left dead in the wake of man's plans for greatness. That's not to say people didn't have good intentions, but the road to Hell is paved with them. We've managed to create quite a few hells on this Earth. We've tried and we've failed to create the perfect state. Our human efforts, even religiously motivated ones have failed.
Because of this history, my personal political philosophy includes a belief in limited government. More times than not, Government solutions to our problems fail, because governments are designed by flawed human beings. This is not to say that we should not pursue righteousness or justice, only that government should never be the greatest agent of moral good.
I've learned to accept that politicians and policies will never be perfect. Regular readers will know that I don't use this as an excuse for complacency. But, no matter how successful we are in getting policy enacted, we'll still have a government that has problems. We also have churches and families that have serious issues. The common thread between all of these institutions is the presence of human beings within them.
As I work to make the best of what God has given me, I look forward to the coming of His Kingdom. It won't come through an advancing army of crazed madmen blowing themselves up. It won't come through politics. It will come when Christ himself returns through the supernatural power of God and creates a Kingdom of peace, justice, and prosperity.
Until then, I labor on, trying to make of the best of our fallen world. One prayer always in the back of my mind. Come Lord Jesus. Come.
Adam Graham is the author of the Screwtape Report which is available at www.lulu.com/content/165415. He was the 2000 Montana State Coordinator of the Alan Keyes Presidential Campaign. He and his wife live in Boise, Idaho. He is a staff blogger for WhereIstand.com. He is a columnist for AmericanDaily.com, RenewAmerica.us, The Conservative Voice.com and Conservatown.com. You can visit his blog at www.adamsweb.us/blog. You can also subscribe to his nightly podcast at: http//feeds.feedburner.com/blogspot/blgH